SŪRAH AL-FĀTIHA

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سورة الفاتة

A Fellowship of Faith

Allie Khalfe

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SŪRAH AL-FĀTIHA

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For him the character of mortal nature was removed,

and the character of the Quran put in its place صلى الله عليه وسلم

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CONTENTS

PREFACE

THE AUTHOR .......................................................................................... 6

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 9

VIRTUES OF SŪRAH AL-FĀTIHA ................................................... 17

NAMES OF SŪRAH AL-FĀTIHA ...................................................... 22

REVELATION OF SŪRAH AL-FĀTIHA ... Error! Bookmark not

defined.

IN A SINGLE BREATH............................................................................

Verse 1 .............................................................................................................

Verse 2 .............................................................................................................

Verse 3 .............................................................................................................

Verse 4 .............................................................................................................

Verse 5 .............................................................................................................

Verse 6 .............................................................................................................

Verse 7 .............................................................................................................

REFERENCE MATERIAL .......................................................................

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PREFACE

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

May the peace and blessings of God be upon our Beloved

Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family, companions, and all

those who follow them until the end of time.

The first chapter of the Quran, appropriately named "The

Opening", is truly the opening of not just the book of God,

but to Man's relationship with God himself. It is the opening

of humanity's ability to understand their purpose in this life,

and what awaits them in the next, which is achieved first and

foremost by knowing our Creator, and seeking aid and

guidance from Him alone. From that humble beginning comes

great honor and strength for those who live its message.

Although small in size, its words have kept scholars and saints

alike busy throughout the ages seeking out its meanings, and it

will continue to do so until the last hour. That journey in

understanding is in no way limited to just the arabic Language,

but extends to all those who have heard it's words and wish to

relay some of their beauty and depth into the other languages

of the world.

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So it is with great joy that we introduce a new addition to that

journey of understanding into the English language, at a time

in which the English speaking world is in need of hearing the

true message of Islam, encapsulated in this commentary of the

opening chapter of The Quran by Shaykh Allie Khalfe entitled

"A Fellowship of Faith".

We ask God, the Almighty, to accept this work and its author,

and to make it a means of reaching the hearts of those who

read it.

Dr. Ibrahim Negm

Senior Advisor to the Grand Mufti of Egypt.

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THE AUTHOR

Allie Khalfe spent a decade learning various traditional texts

from Shaykh Seraj and Shaykh Ahmad Hendricks who are the

current Shaykhs of the Azzawia Institute in Walmer Estate,

Cape Town. They in turn graduated from the Umm al-Qura

University in Mecca specializing in Usūl Al-Fiqh and spent

about ten years at the feet of the ocean of knowledge, Al-

Sayyid Muhammad bin „Alawī al-Mālikī, may Allah be pleased

with him. Allie received from them licence [ijāza] to transmit

various branches of knowledge including Islamic Jurisprudence

[Al-Fiqh], Theology [Al-Tawhīd] as well as the Spiritual Sciences

[Al-Tasawwuf]. He also spent two years at the Grand Al-Azhar

Mosque in Cairo sitting at the feet of some of the foremost

scholars alive today, including Shaykh Sa‟īd Mamdūh, Shaykh

„Alī Jumu‟a, Shaykh Fat‟hī „Abdurahmān Al-Hijāzī, Shaykh

Hasan Al-Shāfi‟ī and Shaykh Hishām Kāmil, may Allah be

pleased with them, all of whom he read traditional texts to and

received from them ijāza to transmit these texts. He is currently

completing his Masters in Islamic Studies with a focus on

Theology at UNISA and is the founder of The IslamicText

Institute in Surrey Estate, Cape Town. He also lectures on

Theology at the International Peace College of South Africa

(IPSA).

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INTRODUCTION

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Praise be

to Allah, Lord of the worlds, The Opener [Al-Fattāh], who

opens the gates of His mercy to the believers and casts of His

Divine light into their hearts. May the peace and blessings of

Almighty Allah be upon the Master of the messengers [Sayyid

al-mursalīn], the chosen one [al-mustafā], Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, the

opener [al-fātih] of that which was previously closed, the seal

[al-khātim] of what came before, the helper [al-nāsir] of truth by

the truth, the guide [al-hādī] toward the straight path [sirāt al-

mustaqīm], and upon his family and companions, who are the

pearls of gnosis [al-jawāhir al-ma‟ārif] and the flowerbeds of the

gardens of eloquence and elevation [al-fasāha wa l„awārif], and

those who follow in their footsteps until the last hour.

Escorted by eighty-thousand Angels upon revelation, sūrah

Fātiha is sacred to every Muslim and is read at least seventeen

times a day within the obligatory prayers. It is considered to be

both Meccan and Medinan, consisting of twenty-five words

[kalimāt], and one-hundred and thirteen letters [hurūf]. Scholars

said that it was called the opening [al-fātiha] for many reasons.

One of them is because through it Allah جل جلاله made manifest the

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storehouses of truths, which were never before opened except

to His beloved Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم. Another reason is because it is

an opening [fath] leading to all other openings [futūhāt] of the

Quran. It is also said to be the key [al-miftāh] that opens hearts

to the verities of spirituality.

This sūrah is vast in meaning and incorporates all ten degrees

of the Oneness of Lordship [Rubūbiyyah] as mentioned by the

Gnostic, Ibn „Arabī : The first is the majestic Name [lafdh al-

Jalālah], the second, the essence [al-dhāt] and the third, the

divine attributes [al-sifāt]. These three are found in Bismi Allahi

Rahmāni Rahīm. The fourth is lauding and praise [al-thanā], and

the fifth, gratitude [al-shukr], and these two are found in Al-

Hamdu. The sixth is the Oneness of Worship [Ulūhiyyah], and

the seventh, the Divine Creative Power [Khāliqiyyah], and these

are found in Rabb al-„Ālamīn. The eighth is His Ownership of

the Dominion and this is mentioned in Mālik. The ninth is

servitude [al-„ubūdiyyah] through His Ulūhiyyah and Uniqueness

[Al-Wahdāniyyah], and these are found in Iyyāka. The tenth is

guidance [al-hidāyah] through the Truth [Al-Haqq] and His

endless gifts [al-in‟ām] which have no beginning and sees no

end [min al-azal ilā al-abad], and these are found in Ihdina s-sirāt

al-mustaqīm.

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This commentary highlights some of the classical ideas from a

variety of sources dating back to the second century AH.1 I

named it „A Fellowship of Faith‟ based on the idea expressed by

the Master, „Abdullah Yūsuf „Alī , in his renowned

commentary of the Quran.

Scholars of old exerted their efforts in mentioning the diverse

areas of study this sūrah encompasses. Ibn Kathīr , was of

those luminaries who enumerated upon some of these graces

in his Tafsīr: The honourable sūrah contains seven verses

including the praise and thanks of Allah by mentioning His

most beautiful Names and most high Attributes. It also

mentions the Hereafter, which is the Day of Resurrection, and

directs Allah's servants to ask of Him, invoking Him and

declaring that all power and strength comes from Him. It also

calls to the sincerity of the worship of Allah alone, singling

Him out in His divinity, believing in His perfection, being free

from the need of any partners, having no rivals nor equals. Al-

Fātiha directs the believers to invoke Allah to guide them to

the straight path, which is the true religion, and to help them

remain on that path in this life, and to pass over the actual sirāt

1 AH: After the migration [al-hijrah] from Mecca to Madīna.

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on the Day of Judgment. On that Day, the believers will be

directed to the gardens of comfort in the company of the

Prophets, the truthful ones, the martyrs and the righteous. Al-

Fātiha also encourages performing good deeds, so that the

believers will be in the company of the righteous on the Day of

Resurrection. It also warns against following the paths of

misguidance, so that one does not end up with the unfortunate,

those who are the objects of wrath and those led astray.

In this spirit I pray that this short treaties finds acceptance with

our Lord and that it serves beneficial to those approaching it

with a sound intention and a heart receptive. It is my hope that

the reader looks upon it with the eye of pardon and covers the

faults which I may have inserted. It is said that covering the

flaws of another is of the most noble traits [min shaym al-kirām]

while exposing the flaws of another is a trait of the wretched

[min da‟b al-li‟-ām]. It is Allah جل جلاله whom I place my hopes in,

and through His noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم do I seek a means, that this

work finds a place of acceptance [al-qabūl]. Indeed Allah جل جلاله is

the best in whom one may hope [khayr ul-ma‟mūl] and the most

Generous of those one may ask [wa akram ul- mas‟ūl].

Allie Khalfe

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DEFINITION OF QURAN, SŪRAH AND ĀYAH

Imam Al-Suyūti narrates that Jibrīl memorised the Quran

from the Preserved Tablet [lawh il-mahfūdh] and thereafter

revealed it to the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. The letters of the

Quran on the Preserved Tablet are each bigger than the Qāf

mountain, and beneath each letter are meanings that can be

comprehended only by Allah 2.جل جلاله

AL-QURAN

A group held the opinion that Al-Quran is a non-derived

proper noun, applied specifically to Allah‟s Speech.

Al-Ash‟arī3 held the opinion that it is derived from the root

qar‟, with the meaning to connect something with something else,

because the Quran connects the sūrahs, verses and the words

in it.

Al-Farrā‟ derives it from qara‟, meaning pairs, because the

verses validate one another and resemble one another: thus

they are pairs.

2 Al-Itqān fī ‘ulūm Al-Quran, Al-Suyūtī

3 He is ‘Alī ibn Ismā’īl ibn Abī Bishr Is’hāq ibn Sālim, Abū Al-Hasan Al-Ash`arī Al-Yamanī Al-Basrī Al-Baghdādī (260-324). He was a descendent of the Yemenī Companion Abū Mūsā Al-Ash`arī and was of the mightiest defenders of the Sunnah.

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Al-Zajjāj4 and his ilk held the opinion that it is an adjective

derived from qr‟ meaning to collect together.

Abū „Ubaydah held that it was called Quran because it

collected the sūrahs one after another.

Al-Rāghib5 said that it is called Al-Quran because it is a

collection of fruits of all the former heavenly books. Another

view is that it contains all the varieties of knowledge.

SŪRAH

Lexically [lughatan] the word sūrah means chapter, wall or fence.

Technically [istilāhan] the word sūrah is the title given to each

individual division or chapter of the Quran and is used to make

each chapter clear and distinct from every other. The chapters

are called that because through them one ascends from one

degree to the next. It is said that they are called sūrah because

of their honour and elevation, as is said of walls which are

raised up in the land. It is said that they are called sūrah because

the one who reads them looks forward to what lies ahead, like

the walls of a building.

4 He is Al-Zajjāj, Abū Is’hāq Ibrāhim bin Al-Sari. He was born in Baghdād in 230 and passed away in 311 AH and was a master of the Arabic language.

5 He is Abū Al-Qāsim Al-Husayn bin Mufaddal bin Muhammad, better known as Rāghib Isfahānī. He passed away in 502 AH. He was a master in all fields and wrote extensively on Theology and Language.

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ĀYAH

An āyah is sometimes referred to as a sign. It is a sign since it is

separate and distinct from the words before it and the words

after it. It is therefore clear from other signs and independent.

It can also mean proof or symbol. It is said that it is called āyah

because it is a wonder which people are unable to imitate.

Grammarians disagree about the root of āyah. Sibawayh6 said

that it is ayaya and because the yā is vowelled and has a fatha

before it, it becomes alif and so it is āyah. Al-Farrā' said that its

root is ayyaya and it accepts the alif out of dislike of the

doubling and becomes āyah.7

We can therefore understand āyah as both sign and symbol,

which is not something linear but rather multidimensional. If it

is understood to be a sign then it is pointing somewhere and if

6 His name was Abū Bishr ʿAmr ibn ʿUthmān ibn Qanbar, the father of Arabic Grammar and the Proof of the Arabs. He was an Iranian living in Basra, Irāq, the author of the book of grammar Al-Kitāb. He was born in 140 AH in the city of al-Baydaʾ in Irān. He is widely know as Siybawayh – (Sib meaning apple in Persian) the apple scented one or the one with rosy apple cheeks, a nickname given by his mother. It is said that no one was called with such a name in history before him.

7 Al-Jāmi’ li-Ahkām Al-Quran, Al-Qurtubī, Aisha Bewley

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it is understood to be symbolic then what it points to needs to be

unpacked. The Quran pleas with us to ponder and reflect upon

its āyāt. Allah جل جلاله says: “Do they not observe the bird high above them

expanding and contracting its wings. None keeps it suspended save Divine

Mercy.”8

Āyāt like these are pointing toward the heavens and pleading

with us to lift our hearts so that we may witness the wisdom

and beauty of the Creator within the creation. We need to lift

our aspirations heavenward so that we may reap the fruits of

what these symbolic and sacred āyāt allude to.

8 Quran 67:19

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VIRTUES OF SŪRAH AL-FĀTIHA

Imam Al-Suyūti narrates that it was revealed accompanied by

eighty-thousand angels. Angels would accompany him so

as to protect and guard him on all sides from the devils

[shayātīn].

Imam Al-Qurtubī9 said: The Fātiha possesses attributes which

other sūrah‟s do not possess to the extent that it is said that the

entire Quran is contained within it. It consists of twenty-five

words which embrace all the sciences of the Quran. Part of its

honour is that Allah جل جلاله divided it between Himself and His

servants, and the prayer is only valid with it and no action is

necessary to gain a reward for it. It is in this sense that it is the

Mother of the Quran [Umm al-Quran].

Abū Hurayrah reported that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم once said:

“Allah جل جلاله said, “I have divided the prayer between Myself and my

servant equally and My servant shall be granted what he asked for.”

Therefore, when the servant says, „Praise be to Allah‟, Allah says, „My

9 He is Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Abū Bakr bin Farah, Abū Abdullah Al-Ansārī Al-Qurtubī, of Cordova (in present day Spain). He adhered to the Māliki school of jurisprudence and was a hadīth specialist as well as one of the greatest Imams of Quranic exegesis.

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servant has praised Me.‟ When he says, „Most Gracious, Most Merciful‟,

Allah says, „My servant has extolled Me.‟ When he says, „Master of the

Day of recompense,‟ Allah says, „My servant has glorified Me.‟ When he

says, „Thee alone do we worship, and from Thee alone do we seek aid,‟

Allah says, „this is between Me and My servant and My servant shall

have what he requested.‟ When he says, „Guide us on the Straight Path,

The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, Not of those

who incur wrath, nor of the misguided‟, Allah says, „this is for My servant

and My servant shall have what he asked for.‟” 10

Ibn „Abbās said, “While the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم was

sitting with Jibrīl he heard a creaking sound above him.

Jibrīl looked up and said, “This is (the sound of) a gate that has

been opened in heaven today and has never been previously opened.” Then

an Angel descended through it and came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and said, „Rejoice in the good news of two lights that have been given to

you such as no prophet before you has been given. They are sūrah al-

Fātiha and the concluding (two) verses of sūrah al-Baqarah. You will

10 Sahīh Muslim

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never recite a word from them without being given the blessings they

contain.‟”11

Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn Jābir said, “I went to the

Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم after he had poured water (for ablution)

and said, „Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah!‟ He did

not answer me. So I said again, „Peace be upon you, O

Messenger of Allah!‟ Again, he did not answer me, so I said

again, „Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah!‟ Still he did

not answer me. The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم left and I followed

him, until he arrived at his residence. I went to the Mosque and

sat there sad and depressed. The Messenger of Allah came out

after he performed his ablution and said, „Peace and Allah's mercy

be unto you, peace and Allah's mercy be unto you, peace and Allah's

mercy be unto you.‟ He then said, „O „Abdullah bin Jābir! Should I

inform you of the greatest sūrah in the Quran?‟ I said, `Yes, O Messenger

of Allah!” He said: Read, `Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds,' until

you finish it.” Some scholars relied upon this hadith as evidence

that some āyāt and sūrahs hold more virtues than others.12

11 Riyād Al-Sālihīn, Imam Al-Nawawī

12 Tafsīr ibn Kathir

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Hasan Al-Basrī reports that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Whoever

reads sūrah al-fātiha is like one who reads the Tawrāh, the Injīl, the

Zabūr and the Quran.”

Al-Fātiha is also well-known to be a major source of relief.

Abū Sulaymān relates that once a group of companions

were on an expedition when they came across an epileptic

person who was unconscious. One of the companions recited

the Fātiha and blew in his ear. The epileptic person was

immediately cured. When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was informed of

this, he said: “It is The Mother of the Quran and is a cure for every

disease.” 13

Anas said: “When you recite sūrah al-Fātihah and sūrah al-Ikhlās

upon lying on your bed, you will be safeguarded and should become fearless

of every thing except death.”14

13 Al-Tha’lab from Abū Sulaymān, who narrated it from Mu’āwiya bin Sālih . See Tafsīr Mazharī 1:31.

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Abū Sa‟īd Al-Khudrī and Ibn „Abbās, may Allah be pleased with

them, both relate narrations establishing that the Fātiha, can be

used to seek a cure. In it, Abū Sa‟īd recites the Fātiha to

successfully cure a man who had been stung by a scorpion,

which they later inform the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم of. He صلى الله عليه وسلم confirms its

use for this purpose, asking rhetorically, “What gave it away that

it is an incantation for cure [ruqyā]?” 15

15 Sahīh Al-Bukhārī

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NAMES OF SŪRAH AL-FĀTIHA

Al-Fātiha is derived from the root, fath, meaning opening. Fataha

literally means to remove an obstacle so as to provide an opening. It

also means to remove confusion. An opening could therefore be

something tangible or intangible.

The Fātiha has many names and it is well-known in Arab

tradition that many names indicates greater honor and nobility

of the named [kathrat ul-asmā tadullu „alā sharf al-musammā].

Imam Al-Suyūtī collected twenty names for this blessed

sūrah, several of which are tawqīfī i.e. from Allah جل جلاله Himself.

Some of these names are listed below:

It is called the key to Paradise [Miftāh al-Jannah] because the

gates of paradise are eight, and the opening of each gate is

specific to one sort of knowledge from the Quran. Unless you

learn these eight sorts and unless you believe in them, the

doors will not be opened to you. Al-Fātiha comprises those

eight sorts that are the keys of paradise. First is the mention of

the Lord‟s Essence: Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Second

is the mention of the attributes: Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Third is the mention of the acts: Thee alone do we worship. Fourth

is the mention of the Return: And from Thee alone do we seek aid.

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